


Threads of Fate

by TeaPlant



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 半妖の夜叉姫 | Hanyou no Yashahime | Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Anime)
Genre: Adult Rin (InuYasha), Canon Compliant, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Time Travel, Young Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29121117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaPlant/pseuds/TeaPlant
Summary: Falling through the paths of time, a heavily pregnant Rin is taken back 300 years into the past. In her journey to return home, two youkai endeavour to assist her with returning to her time and her husband.Struggling to keep her identity a secret, Rin is faced with the possibility that fate really is written in the stars, and her declarations to her husband that she was born for him may be more accurate than she expected.AKA Rin meets a young Sesshomaru and he gets his first boner.
Relationships: Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 252





	1. Silk Yarn

> _She comes at last and with a little pin_
> 
> _Bores through his castle wall,_
> 
> _And farewell king._
> 
> \- Richard II, Shakespeare

Rin listened intently to the sounds around her. Cicadas singing their call for a mate, a gentle breeze rustling through the tree leaves above and around her, her own rhythmic breath and the whisper of her beloved’s hand sweeping across her kosode lulled her into a sense of calm, and Rin laid back further into the strong, protective arms embracing her. Opening her eyes, she lifted her gaze to seek the golden eyes of her husband that rested under a crescent moon that much resembled the one hanging in the night sky.

Sesshomaru watched her with such an unrestrained tenderness that Rin could not help the smile that slipped on her lips, the peace and contentment she felt in her heart deciding to make themselves known to him. At this, the clawed hand stopped its journey up and down her gently swollen stomach, and his curiosity getting the better of him,

“Why are you smiling?”

At this, Rin grinned. Suddenly in a playful mood, she decided that she will not give him the answer he sought, but instead would rather incite further his inquisitive nature in hopes of making him speak for longer. Of course, Rin appreciated their quiet moments and the tacit understanding between their hearts, their presence alone being enough to fill one another with contentment and happiness. But Rin was bored, after all, she was still a young woman of seventeen, and as such was still very much prone to giving in to the playful nature of her childhood. And play she will.

“I believe lips are made for smiling, Sesshomaru-sama.”

He frowned. Not the answer he was looking for, but that much she expected.

She teased him further, “Do you disagree?”

Her husband was silent for another second as he observed her raised eyebrow and the smirk that replaced her smile. His frown disappeared. He gently closed his eyes, his gaze turning to the rolling forest hills around them, covered in darkness. After some moments, his gaze returned to her, a new sparkle nestling there, one reflected in the gently teasing tone in his voice,

“Your lips are made for kissing.”

At this, a hand found its way to her cheek, and turning her face upwards and sideways, his face lowered and a set of wonderfully soft lips pressed gently against Rin’s own for a moment that was too brief for her liking, as his husband’s face pulled away.

“Like that.”

But the young bride would not allow this moment to stop, and she twisted around in his arms, caging his neck in her embrace, and eagerly bringing her lips to meet his own once again. And again, and again. Longer, deeper, hotter. Yet the passion behind them was slow-burning, the emotion conveyed was love, not lust, it was a gentle need for closeness and affection, one that could never be extinguished, for theirs was a love of the soul, not of the body. 

Once their kisses trailed off, with her face resting against his own, Rin relished in the warmth of Sesshomaru’s lips, that were hers and hers alone. 

At this thought, Rin paused.

When she had finally confessed her feelings to Sesshomaru, before they got married, Sesshomaru responded to her with a prolonged silence, and when she turned to walk away, convinced that she had been rejected, he grasped her wrist, and kissed her. That was their only kiss before they married, but since then, their kisses had become increasingly intricate, confident and passionate. Rin had assumed that both she and Sesshomaru were learning how to kiss, as it was clear to her on their wedding night that they both lacked any prior experience in laying with another. But was that the case for kisses too?

Lifting her gaze to his eyes, her eyebrows drew together in concentration, as if his face could reveal the answer to her question. When it did not, she asked him directly,

“Say, Sesshomaru-sama,” she received no acknowledgement, but she knew he was paying attention and waiting for her to continue, “Did you ever kiss someone else? Before me?”

His eyes widened marginally, obviously not a question he expected, but then again Rin always had a gift for surprising him with her thoughts and questions. Once Sesshomaru composed himself, he asked, “Why are you asking this?”

“I want to know if Rin is the only one Sesshomaru-sama has ever kissed.”

His brows drew together, not quite understanding, “Why does it matter?”

A strong gust of wind blew their hair up in a swirl, brown and silver intertwining in a frenzied dance.

“I want to know if all of Sesshomaru-sama’s kisses belong to me.” Rin did not mean to sound so childish or entitled, but she did, her judgement clouded by sudden worry.

He turned his head from her, fixed upon a shadowed hill far to his left, “There is no use in knowing such things.”

Rin could feel her heartbeat start to slow down. Along her worry, a new emotion, dark and overpowering, started brewing in the recesses of her heart, as the realisation made it hard for her to even whisper her words, her blurry vision fixed on the twin stripes on her husband's cheek, “There were others…”

Hearing the heartbroken tone of her voice, Sesshomaru turned his gaze briefly to her face, before returning to whatever tree currently holding his attention so captivated, but he answered her nevertheless, “One. Once.”

With a quivering voice and clouding eyes, she probed further, despite the pang in her heart demanding she ceased, “Tell me,” and when too many moments of silence passed, allowing more tears to gather in her eyes, she added, “Please.” 

Sesshomaru’s gaze returned to her face, and with a deep exhale, he continued, “Long ago, in my youth. She kissed me, I never saw her again.” 

“Did you love her?”

An exhale that sounded too much akin to a sigh left his nostrils and Rin could feel his hand caressing her stomach as he chastised her like a petulant child, “Why torment yourself like this? You are my wife, the mother of my unborn heirs.”

Rin frowned, disliking the way he danced around the topic - he never did this with her before. _A sore spot_ , she decided. “I want to know more about Sesshomaru-sama's past, before Rin. Who was she? Did you love her? Did she love you?”

“She was married, carrying another man’s child.” 

Although it should have, Sesshomaru's answer did not lessened Rin's pain in the least, prompting her to press further, “Where is she?”

“She is long dead.”

His response was so icy and his voice so unemotional that it bothered her, so she pressed him. despite the knowledge that he was uncomfortable with her probing into his past, “How did she die?”

“I do not know.”

She did not mean to, but her trembling voice became louder, “How can you know she is dead then?”

Sesshomaru looked away again, his eyes faraway, melancholic, and when he spoke in a hushed tone, Rin thought he was in another world entirely, “Time. Her mortality ensured it.”

It took Rin some time to understand what her husband was referring to, and when she spoke again, the tears that had been gathering in her eyes finally spilled forth, yet she forced herself to declare her conclusion, although she only managed a quivering whisper, “She was human.”

His golden eyes found her brown ones once more, and with a soothing caress to her cheek, he sought to put her mind at ease, “I do not remember her. Her name, her voice, her smell. I know it happened but I do not recall _her_.”

Her brows furrowed in thought, puzzled. His youkai mind shouldn’t allow for such a lapse in memory, “Why? You once told me you recall everything from your childhood as if it just happened yesterday.”

A hand tenderly traced the path her tears made across her cheeks, wiping them, even as more sprouted anew, “I asked my father to erase her from my memories. A youkai, a dream butterfly, erased all I knew about her, except her words and how she made me feel.”

“H-how did she make you feel?”

There was a long pause before Sesshomaru spoke again, as he carefully chose the words to convey emotions long buried, “Captivating. Cherished. Yet weak compared to other youkai and powerless to change fate. Those feelings set me on the path of supreme conquest,” at this, his fingers gingerly grasped her chin and her face was brought to his own, his lips ghosting across her temples and brows, “A path which I abandoned for you.”

Rin’s mind raced, trying to make sense of his words. Sesshomaru loved that woman, she was sure. Yet it was a love he did not want, a love that made him feel vulnerable, a love that shaped who he had been for a very long time, who he was now. Her heart throbbed with a new feeling, her jealousy and insecurity subsiding, giving way to empathy.

Rin felt her heart ache for Sesshomaru.

With a newfound desire - need - to soothe him, she brought her own hands to his face, her fingertips gently drifting across his markings. Realigning his face, she peppered his lips with her own, softly, gently, lovingly. Sesshomaru responded with a tenderness that brought new tears to her eyes, his hand threading into her hair, bringing her head closer, holding it still as his mouth conquered hers, devouring it. Eventually he gave her a brief respite from his onslaught to declare, “You are mine.”

Seshomaru’s wandering hands and hungry mouth left Rin panting, with a newfound longing for his body and soul, but she had just enough composure to voice her claim over him, “I was born for you. And you were born for me, long before I came into existence.”

His only response was another kiss and an insistent tug at her obi, her kosode coming undone.

* * *

Her steps were faltering for a while now, yet Rin willed her heavily pregnant body to resist, to keep walking up the steep hills of the forest. The seasons were changing, heavy clouds were gathering, and the darkness of the night would soon fall upon the land, and she had not had any food since that morning. Well, since morning in her own time. 

Currently walking in the Forest of No Return, Rin tried to make her way away from the Tree of Ages, towards Kaede’s village, in order to find the other Jidaiji, the Sacred Tree. If the spirit of Kikyo was right, then by virtue of touching it, Rin will be transported back to her time. Or perhaps forward to her time. She is not quite sure, the world around her looked very much similar to the world she was used to, not surrounded by stone palaces, metal carts or paved streets like Kagome had described her own future world. Humans from the village that she passed earlier wore familiar clothing, much like the villagers in Kaede’s own village. Their kosode had nothing in common with the short hakama and the tunic Kagome used to wear. The only difference she noted were the people themselves, their constitutions smaller, thinner, their eyes more desperate and filled with envy and disdain towards her. Rin was no stranger to such looks, she was used to her clothing inspiring envy and making her stand out amongst villagers - her current outfit did not help the matters in the least, a long-sleeved deep purple kimono heavily embroidered with gold and silver anemones, and a floor-length gold haori, both articles made of high-quality silk - but somehow this era seemed more wretched and the contempt of the people worse still. That is why she decided to avoid walking on the main roads, and instead made her way through the forests and the wilderness - she needed to keep herself and her unborn children safe.

Whatever times she found herself in, she had the good sense to recognise that she was not safe in this one.

A strong wind that left her breathless reminded her that a storm was coming.

She needed to stay safe from the incoming rain, it would be dangerous in her current state to get drenched in cold water with no chance to dry them off, yet she did not trust the humans enough to take shelter in any of their houses, even if she offered her silk haori or hair ribbon as a payment.

Marching on along the rock-strewn path, she aimed to make it to a row of caves further on the mountainside. When she paused for a few moments to catch her breath, she felt it again.

The feeling of being watched.

Turning around, she saw nothing, but judging by the way that hair stood up on her neck, it was a youkai, and a strong one at that. She felt it a few times before in the past hour, but only when she paused for rest. Whoever it was, was watching her from a distance, and she could only notice its presence once they were slowly catching up with her. Rin touched the left side of her chest, she could feel the barrier sutras hidden in an inner picket lining her kosode. Despite not being a priestess, she had just enough knowledge and training to activate the sutras Kagome had infused with her own spiritual powers. Her beloved babies were hanyou, and most youkai were able to feel their auras by now, as they were just another moon cycle from being born. 

But nobody will hurt them.

With renewed purpose, Rin resumed her ascent, but as she did, she felt a pang in the left side of her abdomen, and she paused again, feeling once more like a prey on a platter waiting to be devoured - except her panic increased as she felt _it_ get closer, much closer, very close now.

She turned just in time to see him standing on the path just a few paces away from her. Tall and imposing, armoured and a long mokomoko and the handle of a great sword behind him, long white hair in a ponytail, piercing golden eyes, and blue stripes on the side of his face. So similar to her beloved husband, Rin suddenly knew where she was. _When_ she was. She had travelled further back into the past.

“Who are you, human?”, her baritone anything but friendly.

Surely trepidation flowed in her veins, not blood. She could not die here, not now, not like this. Nobody would ever find her, forever lost to time. More importantly, her children’s lives depended on her, she had to choose her words carefully, “My lord, I am just a woman travelling to return to her home,” she bowed as much as she could, while still keeping an eye on his movements, “Please let me be on my way.”

His eyes drifted to her large stomach, “You carry children. Hanyou.”

Her hands found themselves wound around her stomach, attempting to appeal to the compassion she knew resided within the man in front of her, “Y-yes, my lord. Please allow me to be on my way,” and upon noticing the narrowing of his eyes, she added in a loud voice, with as much confidence and authority as she could muster, “My dear husband would not easily forgive any action against me or his heirs.”

“Husband… That is the very reason I am following you, woman. Just who is your husband?”

Her mouth was dry from both anxiousness and the lack of water. She needed to thread carefully, she could not afford to reveal any information that could affect the future in a way that wasn’t already predetermined, “My husband is a powerful youkai, the strongest of his kind. You can feel it in the aura of my children, can you not? His strength is unrivalled, even by you.”

“Yes, I can feel the great power surging from your womb,” at this, he took a step towards Rin, making her take a step back in response, “but that is not why I am here. Woman, why do you smell so strongly of my young son?”

Silence filled the space between them, interrupted only by the drifting wind and the low rumble of the clouds gathered above them. What could Rin tell him? He would be able to tell if she were to lie, and his nose could not be deceived, after all she had laid with his son the night prior. ”Touga-sama, please. Believe me when I say I cannot tell you why you smell Sesshomaru-sama on me, but I am not from these parts, and everything about me is misleading,” another sharp pressure inside her reminded her of her priorities, “I do not have time for this. I beg you to allow me to leave, I need to go near Edo, to the Sacred Tree.”

Touga said nothing for a long while, glaring at her, his eyes roaming over her stomach, her face, her clothes - her haori, with the pattern of the House of the West on it - and Rin was sure this would be her end. “So you know me, and my son.” When he spoke again, his eyes closed to the wind, his voice sounded distant, melancholic, almost as an afterthought, “About a hundred years ago, I came across a young human priestess. She carried a child, a shihanyou, and the child inside her carried my blood. I could feel it.” He opened his eyes, his gaze locked on her face with such intensity, Rin could barely breathe, “Just like I can feel my own blood in the children within you, mixed with that of my wife, and human blood.” 

“You met Kagome.” It was a statement, not a question. He said nothing, so she continued, “What did she tell you?”

His voice boomed across the forest, his patience wearing thin, “Why do you smell of Sesshomaru?” 

Rin hesitated, but thought that it was probably already too late to try to salvage whatever secrecy she thought she could preserve, certainly there was no point in denying the obvious, “You already know.” 

Touga suddenly took several steps, towering over the petite form of Rin, “I do not. Sesshomaru is a child, the smell of a woman never surrounded him.”

She stroked her protruding stomach, trying to soothe her children, the pain of their kicks making her grimace, leaving her breathless for a few moments, “Please, I need to rest for the night. There are caves.”

Nothing was said for some time, but just as Rin thought he would either kill her or walk away, she felt a pair of arms around her and her feet leaving the ground. She shrieked and tried to push away, but the arms and chest she was held against were too strong and she was already being carried away. They were heading uphill, towards the caves, and her muscles slowly relaxed at the realisation that he would not kill her.

They reached the cave just as it started raining, and Rin was grateful that at least she had not been drenched by the rain before she got to safety, although all things considered, she was still unsure of exactly how safe she was. Once inside the cave, she went as deep inside it as she could in an attempt to put as much distance between herself and her, captor? Protector? Father-in-law.

Rin sat down and gathered the haori as close to her body as she could, very content to be ignored by the youkai standing sentry by the entrance of the cave, busy watching over the storm raging outside. She was so exhausted that did not even realise when she fell asleep.

The next morning had the sun shining brightly in the darkness of the cave. As sleep wore away, Rin took in her surroundings, looking around her with panic, her eyes settling on the great daiyoukai, his imposing form nothing but a shadow, surrounded by the light of dawn.

“I will escort you to the Sacred Tree,” he slowly turned and walked towards her, crouching down, “but before that, we will get a companion for our journey there.”

Confused and still dazed from sleep, Rin could do nothing but nod her head, forced to have to put her trust in his honour, “I understand. But I need water. And food.”

Touga looked taken aback by her request, but said nothing and nodded, a small smirk settling on his features, causing Rin to exhale a breath she did not even realise she was holding in.

* * *

Rin was grateful that Touga was kind enough to stop by a village and pay for her food, as they spent the rest of the day travelling by foot through the forest, and by the late evening, she was tired and hungry again, her water supply depleted. While she was rather disheartened at being too tired to keep a conversation, her father-in-law seemed grateful to have some silence after all her excited chattering about her home, her friends, her village, her life, her food, her plants. Of course, the only topic she avoided was that of her husband, which did not go unnoticed by her companion.

They were threading through an open field, grass and mud tickling her bare feet, and Rin was tempted to tell him that in her very pregnant condition, she was unable to walk any further. Raising her head to look ahead for him, she noticed a building on the horizon, a large shiro by the looks of it, perhaps a shinden-zukuri, yet its wings were missing. Shifting her gaze to her companion, Rin couldn’t help but wonder if this is where he intended to get their journey companion, or if he was simply being considerate and wanted her to get some rest for the night. When she voiced her question, he briefly glanced at her, then continued on ahead, shouting a simple order of “Don’t fall behind.”

As they finally reached the house, Rin realised that the building itself was almost derelict, a victim of the passing of time, abandoned and neglected. She followed Touga through the remnants of what used to be a lavish garden, and when the great youkai simply climbed onto the wooden engawa, opening the shoji screen and walking inside without taking off his boots, she sought to mirror his actions and was about to step onto the porch, when a soft wind drifted by, and a harsh yet childish voice made her foot pause mid-air, “Do not step onto the porch with your filthy feet.”

A small gasp left Rin, and she turned her head towards the voice so fast that her hair flew around her from the suddenness of the movement. 

Her husband was standing 10 paces away from her, in the garden outside the house. Correction, a younger version of her husband. The same white hair and the familiar markings were framing a much younger face, he looked no older than 12, perhaps 13. Rin lowered her hovering foot back onto the ground and slowly approached him. He was about her height - no, slightly shorter than her, which was so strange as normally she didn’t even reach his shoulders! His hair was shorter still, coming to rest just above his collarbones, and his soft, beautiful features were set into such a threatening and angry expression that it simply came across as childish.

“Sesshomaru-sama!” Rin was grinning from ear to ear, a sweet laughter escaping her lips.

“What are you laughing at?” His voice was nothing but venom and disgust, yet Rin could not help but marvel at the sight before her. Her beloved Sesshomaru-sama, nothing but a young boy!

Taking another step forward, Rin came to an arm’s length away from her dearest, and while she heard his growling and was vaguely aware of his tense demeanour, she was too enraptured with seeing Sesshomaru this way to mind any of it. She sought to touch him, his youthful face. Yet as she lifted a hand and was about to reach Sesshomaru’s face, the white of his eyes instantaneously turned a deep red, his golden irises became blue, his fangs extending, his growl growing louder and resounding in her ears, his arm raised and his claws diving towards her. 

Rin simply watched with a smile still on her face, her heart and mind not able to understand what was happening.

Right then, the claws stopped right in front of her face, and as she blinked, Rin realised that Touga had appeared to her left, and was holding Sesshomaru’s wrist firmly.

“Sesshomaru, cease this.”

Sesshomaru’s eyes returned to their normal golden orbs, yet his fangs and growl remained, yet even so, he spoke, “She will die for daring to think she can touch this Sesshomaru.”

“She will not. She is my guest, Sesshomaru.”

The growling stopped at this, and fangs retracted, Sesshomaru’s attention diverted to his father’s face, his voice becoming more childish and confused than Rin ever heard it before, “Guest…? Father, what are you saying?” He sounded outraged, and despite the harshness behind them, Rin loved every word he uttered, “She is a human.”

“I will explain once you are able to control yourself.”

Rin watched with bated breath as Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed on his father’s face, and then briefly glanced her way, prompting a small involuntary smile on her face, which made him look away back to his father. Nodding, Sesshomaru slowly withdrew his hand away from her face, and Touga let go of his wrist as he did so.

Taking a step back away from Rin, Sesshomaru purposely ignored her presence and addressed his father with something more akin to the usual composure that Rin had come to expect from her husband, “Why is she here?”

In turn, Touga turned to fully face Rin, his eyes inspecting her face, scrutinising her very being, much like the previous day when he met her, as he spoke, “Sesshomaru… What can you tell me about her smell?”

Clearly taken aback, the young youkai threaded with caution, “Father… Is this a game to you?”

But Toga’s eyes never left Rin, ignoring his son’s protests, his voice tense and harsh, “Answer me.”

After some moments of silence, Sesshomaru’s gaze left his father, and beheld the young woman before him as if she were a worm that had just found its way to the surface of the earth beneath his feet, “Human, healthy. Mud and sweat, fish and rice, meadows and rain. Peaches,” his eyes drifted lower, stopping at her stomach, and with a grimace, he continued, “Hanyou. Two, and strong.”

“And the father?”

At this, Sesshomaru’s grimace disappeared, and he looked up at his father. Blinking, he looked back towards Rin’s stomach, taking in a deep breath. Glancing towards her face, he openly glared at her, and took a step towards her, standing in front of her once more, making Rin beam widely at his closeness.

“I cannot smell anyone else in the hanyou. Just her. She copulated several days ago, but the smell of the man is missing.” He ignored the crippling on Rin’s face flushed face, and turning to his father once more, Sesshomaru allowed some manner of curiosity to seep into his voice, “How can a human woman have a hanyou child by herself?”

Touga said nothing in response, but simply looked towards Rin and motioned her to follow him. Reluctantly, Rin looked between Touga and Sesshomaru, and was tempted to simply remain by Sesshomaru’s side, despite the fact that he was glaring daggers at her once more. But Touga called for her to follow him, and after flashing one last smile to her beloved, she followed her father-in-law without another word. He guided her to the other side of the house, to a small wooden outbuilding hidden amongst trees, and he instructed her to wash up and go into the house for the night once she had finished, before leaving her alone. Reluctantly, Rin did as she was told, and her mood was much improved at seeing the quality of the bathhouse inside. She was glad to be able to wash away the rain and sweat and mud away from her, the stress of the day almost melting way. When she was done, she was more than happy to put on one of the silk white yukata that were stashed onto a shelf in the corner of the room. Interestingly, they smelled of Sesshomaru, and were just right for her height. Rin laughed merrily as she realised that these must belong to her young husband, hugging the soft fabric closer to her skin, relishing in the feeling of safety that it gave her, a sentiment she missed for the past two days.

Thinking back to what Sesshomaru said about her smell, Rin quickly washed up her own kosode, the offending stains and smell fading enough not to be noticeable to her human senses anymore. She was beyond grateful to have been able to see such a young version of Sesshomaru - he looked so endearing and feminine, that if not for his voice, she was sure that he must have been mistaken more than once for a woman. Yet, as she was hanging the clothes to dry on a stand near the door, Rin reflected on his reaction to her attempt to touch him. He would have killed her if it wasn’t for Touga’s intervention. She would need to be careful, this version of Sesshomaru did not have years of growing affection with her, certainly no physical closeness. Of course he would be uncomfortable and see her approach as an act of aggression. At any rate, he could not find out about who she was and what she would become to him, lest he try to stop fate from taking place as it should when they will finally meet in the future. Luckily, it seemed like Touga was of the same opinion and did not reveal her real identity. 

Making her way to the house, Rin resigned herself to having to carefully guard her love and affection for her beloved Sesshomaru.

Opening one of the shoji screens, Rin was surprised to find that the entire building was one empty big room, with the exception of intricate folding screens separating two small areas in the back of the room, and a large fire pit in the middle of the it, which was burning brightly. The young Sesshomaru was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of it, stirring the wooden logs on the fire with a metal rod. Rin noted that he purposefully ignored her presence, and deciding to respect his decision, she slowly moved across the wooden floor, her bare feet only making the slightest of sounds, and she settled on the side of the fire pit adjacent to him. Some water bowls were placed around the fire pit, and Rin helped herself to one, grateful to have some water at last. While at first she sat in the formal seiza position, after some time passed with only the sound of the crackling fire surrounding them, she relaxed her position and allowed her feet to come out from under her thighs, and extend slightly to the side of her in a more informal sitting position, and she began brushing her wet hair with her hands, helping it dry faster. 

A gentle wind and light rain could be heard outside the house, the sounds soft and soothing.

While brushing her hair, Rin felt Sesshomaru’s eyes occasionally drifting to her, which she pointedly tried to ignore as not to be perceived as combatative, and she was glad to note that after some time, he was watching her openly, silently, his eyes never leaving her.

The magic of the moment was ruined when footsteps were heard outside of the shoji doors, and Sesshomaru’s gaze returned to the fire, prompting Rin to sit back in formal seiza. The doors opened to reveal Touga holding a few small bamboo boxes. He entered and closed the door behind him, walking promptly towards the fireplace, placing the boxes next to Rin, then walking away to sit crossed legged on the opposite side of Sesshomaru. Almost immediately, Rin noted the smell of food wafting into the air around her, and when she looked inquisitively at Touga, he nodded in her direction. With a bow, Rin opened one of the boxes, and was grateful to see a selection of rice, tofu and pickled vegetables, and she wasted no time in picking up the chopsticks in the lid of the box and beginning to eat. Not another word was spoken as she ate her meal, even as she finished and she helped herself to more water. Many moments passed in silence, and Rin was sure that this was a sign that the night had come to an end, but just as she was about to ask if she could sleep, Sesshomaru spoke up before she did, “Who is she?”

Touga responded almost instantly, as if he was waiting for the question, “The human wife of a powerful youkai.”

“Why is she here, father?”

“The two of us are to escort her to her home. She has been separated from her husband, and needs to return to him.”

As Rin realised that they would speak about her as if she wasn't present, the mystery about the origin of this particular bad habit of her husband's was finally answered.

“How is this any of our concern? She is nothing but a human." and when his father made no answer, Sesshomaru continued in a tone that was not much different than that of a jealous child, "No youkai that has a human wife deserves our time or assistance.”

“My name is Rin.” she interjected, but her name went unacknowledged by her companions.

“She is family.” Touga declared with such conviction that it surprised both Sesshomaru and Rin.

Sesshomaru hesitated, confused, his eyebrows furrowed in indignation, “Who is her husband?”

By contrast, Touga kept his voice even throughout, not an ounce of emotion, his answers instantaneous, “A member of our clan. The children she carries are our family, Sesshomaru.”

“How can you know that, if we can’t smell the father in her children or her husband on her body?”

Touga scoffed, “I assure you I can smell him just fine.”

Sesshomaru harrumphed in return, crossing his arms, and Rin could swear that his lower lip was _almost_ pouting. It seemed like the discussion came to an end, and time passed as the light rain became a downpour, the wind picking up, rattling the shoji screens, before the young youkai spoke again, “You are the most powerful member of our clan. The aura of her children…” 

The implication was clear to Rin, her husband had told her before that the strength of her babies was so great that it already surpassed that of most youkai. The quality of their parentage was evident.

Touga’s voice took on that distant, melancholic quality that he had used before when recalling his meeting of Kagome, “Yes. The father of her children is stronger than I am. Possibly the strongest youkai that ever existed.” Touga looked at Rin for confirmation but she avoided his gaze, her bowl of water suddenly more fascinating than the discussion around her.

Sesshomaru was silent for another moment, before scoffing and fixed Rin with a disgust that filled Rin with a guilt she had never felt before, “How shameful, the strongest youkai, brought to dishonour by marrying a human and fathering hanyou.” She found herself unable to hold his his gaze for long. Her heartbeat faltering for a moment, and her children awoken by her meal, Rin sought to calm down, reminding herself that this was not her Sesshomaru.

It was some time before he spoke again, as he tapped his claws lightly on his own water bowl, “Tell me father, why have I never met this youkai, if we are related to him?” 

Rin dared to steal a glance at Sesshomaru, their eyes meeting one another. She smiled a little despite herself, prompting him to immediately return his gaze to the fire.

Touga smirked, seemingly amused at his son’s behaviour and comments, “My son, I believe you will meet him in due time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another ongoing fanfic, it would not leave me alone!
> 
> This one was inspired by a discussion with some friends about what would happen if Rin met a young Sesshomaru. My friend's take on it is a bit more explicit, link here: archiveofourown.org/works/29067054


	2. Spinning

> _Him and myself should meet_
> 
> _With no less terror than the elements of fire and water,_
> 
> _When their thundering shock at meeting will tear the cloudy cheeks of heaven._
> 
> _Be he the fire, I'll be the yielding water:_
> 
> _The rage be his, whilst on the earth I rain._
> 
> \- Richard II, Shakespeare

Rin woke up slowly, listening to the sound of the birds chirping in the distance. She snuggled deeper into the thick covers of the futon, taking a slow, deep breath, smiling as she found her comfort in the smell of her husband surrounding her like it did every other morning.

“You are awake.”

The last of her sleep slipped away when she heard the unfamiliar voice, causing her to quickly sit up. For a moment, confusion was evident on her face as she tried to recollect the identity of the man behind the folding screen that was giving her the privacy to sleep. Her mouth gaping, Rin recalled the previous day’s events, and realised she was being spoken to by her father in law. She was in fact, sleeping in the bed of a young Sesshomaru, neither he nor his father actually made use of their beds the prior night. Of course, when offered to sleep in one of the futons in the room, Rin was more than happy to make herself comfortable in the bedsheets of her husband, despite his comment that he would burn the futon afterwards if she slept in it.

The rumbling voice of Touga interrupted her recollection of yesterday’s events, “Get ready. There is food in the box by the fire and more for travel, we will not stop until tonight.” He had not even finished his words before the sound of his even steps started moving further away from her.

Letting out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding in, Rin stood slowly, gently holding onto her swollen stomach, leaving the shiro and making her way across the foggy garden to the bathing house as quickly as she could, using the water there to refresh herself, and retrieving her clothes from the previous day, which had dried overnight. She paused in the process of removing her silken yukata, hesitating for a moment, then simply tied it back the way it was, putting her kosode on top of it, and her haori last. This silken yukata belonged to the young Sesshomaru-sama, and she would bring it back with her to the future, a memento of his youthful self. She simply found him endearing, so childish, so much more impulsive than she was used to from him, that she needed _something_ of the conceited and imprudent boy who would one day become her kind and considerate husband. With a nod and a grin, Rin made her way inside the house once more, quickly devouring some of the food in one of the bamboo boxes and packing the other away for travel. Throughout, she helped herself to as much water as she could possibly drink - something told her this young Sesshomaru would not like the frequent bathroom breaks, and strangely, she looked forward to his annoyance, the idea of his childish outrage making her giggle already.

She left the house in as much of a hurry as she could, wrapping the box of food in some fabric and tying it around her shoulders, and she headed to the other side of the house, where she knew her companions were waiting for her. 

When she found them, she stopped, her breath taken away. 

They were both standing with their backs towards her and the house, facing the rolling hills around them from the top of the hill where they stood.

The morning sunlight casted a white glow around them, which combined with the heavy fog made them more akin to spirits than demons. Sesshomaru only came up to his father’s chest, his short hair swaying in the gentle wind, and he turned his head slightly to steal a glance at his father, the latter apparently not noticing it. Rin’s eyes softened, beholding him with a tenderness in her heart. At that moment, her beloved looked so young, so small, so vulnerable, that she felt an unreasonable impulse to protect him, to shelter his heart, body and soul from anything that would ever harm him. It was such a nostalgic feeling that her heart constricted with pain. She had not felt that particular emotion towards her husband since the first time she saw him, weak and wounded in the forest, neglected and alone - just like how she had felt at the time.

How could she possibly spare him all the pain she knew would come his way? All the centuries of loneliness, insecurity and emptiness? 

She was so caught up in the moment that she had barely noticed Sesshomaru slowly turning his head fully to look at her. After a few moments, his stoic face twisted, glowering at her, his voice carrying loudly across the field, “What audacity humans have, stealing clothes from their hosts.”

His forwardness took Rin by surprise, and while his words would have certainly embarrassed her should they come from anyone else, from her husband, they held no weight, as she was well aware of his lack of attachment for trivial things like material objects. This knowledge made the real motive behind his jab obvious, and determined not to let it affect her, Rin countered, ”The cold of spring is stronger this morning than yesterday, Sesshomaru-sama. I didn’t think you would mind me taking a yukata that you threatened to burn for the simple fact that a human wore it,” her calm voice the very paragon of innocence, “I am simply sparing you the effort of disposing of it.”

Sesshomaru simply turned his head away, robbing Rin of the chance to gauge his reaction to her words. Instead, he started slowly marching forward, the sight of his back descending the hill so familiar to her, despite his smaller stature and shorter hair. 

It felt like home.

Like she was born for this.

They travelled the day in relative quiet at a slow pace, Touga consciously accommodating to the state of her pregnancy. The breaks were many and brief, and she could see the frustration growing in the mannerism of the young man who will one day become her husband. His words were clipped and fewer than they usually were, the glares he sent her way more intense, and the frequency in which they were sent to her was ever-increasing. 

Rin was perfectly aware that Sesshomaru was still ignorant as to her real identity or that of her husband, or even the reason why his father insisted on escorting her on her journey. 

She was no fool, she had noticed that Touga was not particularly forthcoming in communicating to his son any of his thoughts or motives, and at least on the outside was rather perfunctory in their interactions. If anything, the honourable youkai seemed to be more interested in observing Rin herself, rarely giving Sesshomaru more than a cursory glance and an order to stop for a break or to resume their journey. The atmosphere in their small party was tense to say the least, a stark contrast to what Rin was used to when she was a travelling companion to her husband, when she would feel at ease to speak incessantly, ask for breaks to pick flowers or find her next meal. She tried her best to get her husband to speak, to get him to talk about his training, his studies, his families, his days, anything, but the young man was taciturn, and Rin was forced to allow him some distance, lest he find her too aggressive. 

But thinking and doing were two different things, and unable to stay away for any prolonged length of time, Rin had given the young man yet another push. During their previous break in a small meadow, in an attempt to relieve some of the tension in the air, Rin picked a small bouquet of wildflowers and presented them to Sesshoamaru as a peace offering. To say he was surprised would be an underestimation, the look on his face almost comical as he beheld her - as if she were some apparition that had never existed before - but the wide eyes and slightly gaping mouth quickly became a set of glaring eyes and a scowl was set on his face, as he growled and went ahead, eager to escape his tormentor, the giggling young woman.

That could have gone better. 

It was already late afternoon when Rin rested her back against the trunk of a tree in a clearing, legs spread out in front of her, hand slowly caressing her belly, trying her best to calm her restless children. Touga had decided it was time for another short break in their journey through the forest. Sesshomaru was standing across the small clearing, a scowl on his feminine face as he looked directly at her, making it somewhat unnerving for the young woman to drink her water. With a sigh, Rin stood carefully, mindful of her children, which had awoken and were very eager to make their presence known to their mother - and judging by the minute reactions in her presence every time one of them kicked, the two youkai in her company as well.

As Rin stood, she noticed that the tree that she had rested against happened to be a plum tree. A plum tree full of juicy green plums. With a grin and a newfound way to get in her future husband’s good graces, Rin put away her water container and started collecting some of the fruit in the sleeve of her haori. Flowers did not do the trick, but green plums just happened to be one of Sesshomaru’s favourite fruits - he liked fruits that were either sweet or bitter, and she now had a large supply of the latter. With renewed excitement, Rin made her way across the small clearing, standing excitedly in front of Sesshomaru - it still surprised her that they stood at the same height - and presented him with her bounty.

Once more, the confused face of Sesshomaru was simply both comical and endearing, and with a wide smile, Rin decided to take advantage of his surprised silence to speak first, “Rin has plums for Sesshomaru-sama!”

But Sesshomaru quickly composed himself, the scowl making its way back to his youthful face, venom dripping from his voice, “I do not eat human food.”

“You eat fruit. All daiyoukai do. You will like these plums, look how big they are!” and to emphasize her point, Rin popped one of them into her mouth, making a show of humming in approval as she ate the fruit.

When Sesshomaru responded, his voice held genuine confusion and the white of his eyes faded to red, “Human, do you understand who you are talking to?” and when Rin did not flinch and simply ate another plum, he added, “Do you have a death wish or are you a fool?”

She raised her hands higher, holding the plums in front of his face, pleading with him in a childish voice, “Please try one, Sesshomaru-sama! They are so good!”

Alas, her efforts went unrewarded as the recipient of her attention simply turned and left, disappearing into the afternoon sky. 

By the time Sesshomaru returned, Rin and Touga had settled in for the night in another part of the forest, and Rin’s excited “Sesshomaru-sama! Welcome back!” was promptly ignored.

Before Sesshomaru even sat down, his father’s low reprimanding tone was heard, the sound of it giving Rin goosebumps, “While we travel with her, you are not to leave her without my permission.”

The young youkai’s head snapped around, looking ready to voice his fervent objection to his father’s order, but as his gaze turned towards Touga, meeting blazing fire in his father’s eyes, his own flames of indignation evaporated and the wayward son simply huffed and sat against a tree on the other side of the fire, as far away as possible from the human who instigated his misery. His eyes closed to the world around him, the slow crackling of the fire, the howling wind and the call of an owl the only sounds heard in the night.

But Rin would not allow Sesshomaru his respite.

He had been gone for hours, and she missed him. 

She missed his older self, his tender gaze, his strong hands, the warmth of his body, the gentle press of his lips upon her own. In fact, she missed him so much, that she was sure it was only the presence of his younger self that had prevented her from bursting into tears, which was ridiculous considering that it had only been three days since she last saw her husband. Before she came of age, she used to go weeks, sometimes even months without seeing him, and while she missed him, she never felt this strong of an urge to cry at his absence. Rin decided to blame her hectic emotions on her pregnancy, but being thrusted into another time that was not her own certainly did not help it.

But Rin was on a mission to address the loneliness she felt in her heart.

So with more bravado than she felt inside, Rin stood from her seat, and slowly made her way across the small clearing, her feet swollen and aching, making more noise than they usually would. Sesshomaru remained as still as a statue as she approached him, his back against the trunk of a tree, his legs stretched out in front of him, his hands folded into the sleeves of his kimono, his eyes closed. 

Unmoving, even as Rin came up to his right side, and remaining so even as she sat down.

Yet the moment she touched the end of his mokomoko, brazenly grabbing it with both hands at once and moving it, his red and teal eyes snapped open, his clawed hand grabbing one of her wrists, ceasing her movements. The growl in his voice made his displeasure clear, but Rin simply ignored it and quipped back in response, “Sesshomaru-sama, Rin is so cold.”

“Tempting me to kill you will help your cold, human?”

“Of course not! I just want your fur to keep me warm.”

Sesshomaru said nothing, staring at her incredulously, his eyes returning to their usual gold, now a dim amber reflecting the flames of the fire of their camp. His hand still wrapped tightly around her wrist.

“I owe you nothing.”

Before Rin could protest, she heard the thick voice of Touga, “Sesshomaru, let her use your fur.”

Rin observed Sesshomaru take a slow, deep intake of breath, his jaw tense, before he stiffly responded, “If she is cold, she can use yours.”

But Rin would not allow it, she was not merely seeking warmth, but that of her reluctant future husband, so she quickly quipped, “Eh? Surely you don’t think it is a good idea for your father to smell of a human woman. Not only because of his station, but he is married too… People would misunderstand, no, Sesshomaru-sama?”

“It would be equally as offensive for me to smell of a human.”

“It is not the same, Sesshomaru-sama... “ and in her pause, Rin reached out her other hand, and lightly touched his claws, gently trailing the tips of her fingers across his fingers, then slipping down to touch his wrist, where she knew him to be sensitive, then whispered as she looked into his wide eyes, “Sesshomaru-sama is a single young man.”

Silence.

Rin waited and waited, for a reaction, anything, but instead his stupefied face remained unmovable, and she started to wonder if perhaps she broke him. But then his face turned into his usual scowl, suddenly turning away from her to gaze deep into the forest around them, letting go of her hand as though it burned him.

A rustling behind her drew her attention, and Rin turned just in time to see Sesshomaru’s great pelt extend much longer than it usually was, the white fluffy appendage reaching the spot where she sat earlier by the fire, on the opposite side of the camp.

His demand for space was loud and clear, and Rin would have heeded it, should it have come from anyone else. But it came from her Sesshomaru, so she simply stood, walking to the other side of the camp, grasping the fur, draping it around her shoulders before making her way back to Sesshomaru’s side, laying on the ground next to him so close that she could feel his body warmth through his hakama. 

He did not react when Rin sat down, and remained unperturbed as she made herself comfortable by his side, although as the exhaustion of the day dazed her into a light slumber, Rin recognised the telltale sensation of Sesshomaru watching her.

He really was her Sesshomaru, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a long break for this one, but I had a bit of a writer's block.
> 
> Hopefully over it and next chapter will follow soon - time for some more exciting things to happen!

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are my daily food. Please do not let me starve.
> 
> Many thanks always go to my beta reader, Lou! ♥️


End file.
